Systems, methods and apparatus for interacting with a security system using a television remote control

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus is described for interacting with a security system using a television remote control. Commands sent by the remote control are received by an auxiliary interface device, which then provides the commands to a security system controller either directly, via a local-area network, or via a wide-area network and server. Status and acknowledgement messages are transmitted from the security system controller to the auxiliary device, whereupon they are provided to and displayed by a television in the form of a security dashboard.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/140,766, filed on Apr. 28, 2016.

BACKGROUND Field of Use

The present application relates to the field of security systems. Morespecifically, the present application relates to interaction with a homesecurity system using devices other than what normally controls suchsecurity systems.

Description of the Related Art

Security systems for homes and businesses have been around for manyyears. Typically, these systems comprise an on-site, central controllerin communication with one or more door/window sensors, motion detectors,sound detectors, light detectors, etc., to detect unauthorized entry. Ifan unauthorized entry is detected, the central controller may cause analarm to be sounded locally and/or a remote monitoring station may becontacted that can send police to the location. The central controlleris also typically in communication with an on-site keypad/display devicethat allows information to be sent to the central controller, such asarm/disarm commands, while also displaying information provided by thecentral controller, such as system status and/or individual sensorinformation. In addition to the keypad/display device, the centralcontroller may be at least partially controlled by a wireless key fobcarried by a user to wirelessly arm and disarm the system, as well as tohave auxiliary functions performed, such as turning on a light or toclose one or more garage doors.

While the key fob is a convenient way to control basic operations of ahome security system, the key fob may not always be near a user insidethe home. For example, the key fob may not be within reach of ahomeowner when the homeowner is watching TV. However, the homeownergenerally will be in possession of a TV remote control that allowsconvenient, wireless operation of a TV. Most TV remote controls generateinfra-red (IR) signals that are incompatible with home security systemsand are therefore incapable of interacting with such home securitysystems.

It would be desirable, then, for people to interact their home securitysystems using an existing consumer control device, such as a TV remotecontrol.

SUMMARY

The embodiments described herein relate to a system, method andapparatus for interacting with a security system using a televisionremote control. In one embodiment, a method is described, comprisingreceiving a signal from the television remote control, the signalcomprising a command to cause the security system to perform one or moreactions, accessing a server associated with the security system via awide-area network, the server for providing an interface to the securitysystem, and providing the electronic signal to the server via thewide-area network, wherein the server forwards the electronic signal tothe security system to perform the one or more actions associated withthe command.

In another embodiment, an apparatus is described, comprising a receiverfor receiving signals from the television remote control, an output, amemory for storing processor-executable instructions, and a processor,coupled to the receiver, the output, and the memory, for executing theprocessor-executable instructions that cause the apparatus to receive acommand from the television remote control, the command to cause thesecurity system to perform one or more actions, access a serverassociated with the security system via a wide-area network, the serverfor providing an interface to the security system, and provide thecommand to the server via the output and the wide-area network, whereinthe server forwards the command to the security system for the securitysystem to perform the one or more actions associated with the command.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features, advantages, and objects of the present invention willbecome more apparent from the detailed description as set forth below,when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which like referencedcharacters identify correspondingly throughout, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of a security system in astructure such as a home or business, comprising a sensor and a securitysystem controller;

FIG. 2 illustrates a security dashboard, comprising a graphicalrepresentation of the structure shown in FIG. 1 and a motion sensor, adoor sensor, a door and windows;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment of a remotecontrol used to interact with the security system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment of a device thatreceives signals from the remote control shown in FIG. 3 and sendssignals to the security system controller;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method forusing the remote control of FIG. 3 to interact with the security systemof FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method forinteracting with a camera using the remote control of FIG. 3 and forviewing still or video images provided by the camera;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method forinteracting with a person located outside of the structure shown in FIG.1; and

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method forautomatically controlling one or more actions of the security system ofFIG. 1 as the remote control of FIG. 3 “learns” the habits of one ormore users.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to embodiments of a system, method andapparatus for interacting with a security system using a remote controldevice that is incompatible with the security system directly, forexample, an infra-red (IR) remote control. Features of such embodimentsinclude allowing an individual to operate a security system using a TVremote, obtain security system status information and display the statusvisually on a television, have the TV remote monitor use of the TVremote and perform one or more pre-programmed actions upon detection ofone or more events, and control other functionality offered by a numberof other devices and/or systems in a home or business setting.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of a security system 100 ina structure 101, such as a home or business, comprising sensor 102, anda security system controller 104. Sensor 102 comprises, in thisembodiment, a magnetic door sensor comprising a magnet and a reed switchassembly, commonly used in home security systems for monitoring door orwindow status, e.g., whether a door or window is open or closed.

Although FIG. 1 shows security system 100 comprising only one sensor, ittypically comprises multiple sensors, each one monitoring a respectivepoint of entry to a structure, such as a door or window, to determineits status (e.g., “open” or “closed”, “locked” or “unlocked”, etc.).Alternatively, or in addition, other sensor types could be used insecurity system 100, such as a non-magnetic door/window sensor, a motiondetector, an infrared sensor, a sound detector, a still or video camera,a tilt sensor, and/or other security monitoring devices.

In one embodiment, the sensors communicate with security systemcontroller 104, either wirelessly as shown, or by wired connections. Forexample, messages may be sent to security system controller 104 from thesensors indicating a status of the monitored points of entry when achange of status is detected by any sensor. Security system controller104 receives these messages and may take one or more actions inresponse. For example, if a door is opened, sensor 102 detects areduction or elimination of a magnetic field produced by an associatedmagnet as the magnet moves away from sensor 102. In response, sensor 102transmits a message to security system controller 104 indicative of astatus change, e.g., that the door has been opened. In response,security system controller 104 may cause an audible siren to soundand/or notify a central monitoring center 120 that a change in state ofone of the sensors and/or points of entry has occurred.

In some embodiments, security system controller 104 may send messages tosensor 102 requesting a status of the sensor and, implicitly, the statusof a point of entry being monitored, in this case, the door. Inresponse, sensor 102 transmits a response to security system controller104 indicating a door status, such as “open”, “closed”, “locked”, or“unlocked”. Other commands may be transmitted by security systemcontroller 104, such as “sound alarm”, “turn on lights”, open gate, lockdoors, etc. In response, sensor 102 would cause a device, such as aloudspeaker, lights, motors, etc. to perform the command.

As described above, security system controller 104 performs monitoringof sensors in system 100 and may provide this status information to anelectronic display located on security system controller 104. Thedisplay provides a visual indication of the status (“open”, “closed”,“on”, “off”, “normal”, “armed”, “alarm”, “locked”, “unlocked”, etc.) ofone or more sensors in the system as well as an identification and/orlocation of the sensors, or only sensors that indicate an “open” status.

In many systems, security system controller 104 may send and receiveinformation to/from a remote keypad/display unit 124, used as aconvenient interface for individuals to access security systemcontroller 104. This may be desirable due to security system controller104 typically being installed in a discreet location, such as a closetor other remote location. Security system controller 104 may sendgeneral status information of the security system to keypad/display unit124, such as “armed”, “disarmed”, “armed-home”, and/or a status of oneor more doors, windows, or other items being monitored. Such status mayinclude an identification of one or more doors or windows, theirlocation, and whether they are open, closed, locked, and/or unlocked,etc.

Security system controller 104 may also be in communication with remotemonitoring center 120 via wide-area network 122, such as the Internet,PSTN, a fiber optic communication network, wireless communicationnetwork (e.g., cellular, data, satellite, etc.), and/or other wide-areanetwork. Remote monitoring center 120 typically provides “live” securitymonitoring services for homes and businesses equipped with securitysystems such as the one shown in FIG. 1. Remote monitoring center 120 isadapted to receive communications from security system controller 104via wide-area network 122 in response to security system controller 104determining that a local alarm condition (e.g., door or window opened,movement detected, infrared detected, light beam interrupted, lightturned on or off, etc.) has been detected by one or more sensors insecurity system 100. In other embodiments, security system controller104 simply receives raw data from the sensors and determines, based onthe data, whether a local alarm condition has occurred. When a localalarm condition is detected, security system controller 104 generates asystem alarm which may comprise taking one or more actions, such asnotifying remote monitoring center 120 that a local alarm condition hasoccurred, illuminating one or more lights, sounding one or more audiblealerts, transmitting one or more commands to various sensors to performan action, such as sound an alarm, turn on a light, lock a door orwindow, etc.

In addition to security system 100, a home entertainment center may belocated within structure 101, in one embodiment comprising set-top box128, television 130, remote control 132, and amplifier/receiver 134. Inone embodiment, auxiliary interface device 144 is a stand-alone,electronic device used as an interface between remote control 132 andother devices and/or systems, such as security system 100, lights,garage door openers, appliances, electronic locks, etc. Set-top box 128,television 130, amplifier/receiver 134, and auxiliary interface device144 may be collectively referred to herein as the “Devices”. In otherembodiments, television 130 comprises all of the necessary circuitry toreceive entertainment programming directly from one or more sources,such as an over-the-air signal broadcast from a television station ordistribution tower, from a wide-area network such as the Internet, froma satellite dish, and/or from a terrestrial source, such as from a cabletelevision network.

Remote control 132 traditionally broadcasts infra-red signals forreception by television 130, set-top box 128 and/or amplifier/receiver134 for controlling operation of television 130 and/or set-top box to,for example, change television channels, adjust volume levels, recordprograms, play back pre-recorded programs, and/or control other homeentertainment equipment, such as a home stereo system and even lights orappliances. Amplifier/receiver may provide amplification of radiosignals for listening over loudspeakers, but may also provide switchingcapabilities for switching a number of different input signals to anoutput port, which connects to television 130. In this way, any of theinputs can be switched to the output port for display on television 130,rather than providing the inputs directly to television 130.

In one embodiment, remote control 132 is capable of controlling securitysystem 100, even though security system 100 typically is not capable ofreceiving the type of signals provided by remote control 132, eitherbecause of the type of signal emitted by remote control 132 (e.g., IR,RF, etc.) or the signal protocol used by remote control 132 to controloperation of television 130 and/or set-top box 128.

Network-Based Control

In this embodiment, remote control 132 interacts with security system100 via one of the Devices, wide-area network 122 and security server138. Remote control 132 provides native signals to one or more of theDevices, for example sends commands in the form of infra-red signals toauxiliary interface device 144, then one of the Devices converts theinfra-red signals into electronic signals, and formats the signals fromtransmission to security server 138, typically via wide-area network122. Server 138, in turn, provides the commands to security systemcontroller 104 via wide-area network 122. Security system controller 104evaluates the commands and performs one or more actions based on thetype of command received, such as to arm or arm security system 100 orto provide status information of security system 100 and/or its varioussensors. In another embodiment, security system controller 104 providesupdated status reports to server 138, for example, upon a changedetected in one of the sensors, at predetermined time intervals, or on acontinuous basis. In this embodiment, server 138 may refrain fromcontacting security system controller 104 when a command is receivedfrom one of the Devices within structure 101 if a status has beenreceived from security system controller 104 within a predetermined timeperiod of receipt of the command, such as 1 minute.

Remote control 132 and/or any of the Devices may automatically determinehow to communicate with security system controller 104, i.e.,determining a command set and/or communication protocols of varioustypes of security systems. Such auto-determinations are described in,for example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,257,037 entitled, “System and Method forAutomatically Setting Up a Universal Remote Control”, U.S. Pat. No.9,326,021 entitled, “System and Method for Reconfiguration of anEntertainment System Controlling Device”, U.S. Pat. No. 9,208,679entitled, “System and Method for Configuring the Remote ControlFunctionality of a Portable Device”, and U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/277,968 entitled, “System and Method for appliance detection andapp configuration”, each assigned to the assignee of the presentapplication and incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

When a command is received by security system controller 104, securitysystem controller 104 interprets the command and performs one or morepredetermined actions based on information stored in a memory withinsecurity system controller 104. For example, the command may instructsecurity system controller 104 to arm or disarm security system 100 orto arm or disarm one or more of the sensors monitored by centralsecurity controller 104. The command could alternatively comprise arequest to provide status information of system 100 as a whole and/orstatus of one or more of the monitored sensors. In response toperforming the one or more commands, security system controller 104 mayprovide an acknowledgement that the one or more actions have beenperformed by sending an acknowledgement message to server 138. Server138, in turn, may provide the acknowledgement back to the Device thatsent the command.

Back at structure 101, the Device that sent the command or statusrequest may receive the acknowledgement message and/or statusinformation from server 138 via wide-area network 122. In response, thedevice may perform one or more actions, such as illuminate one or morevisual indicators located on the device, and/or it may send a signal totelevision 130 for display on television 130. For example, the devicemay provide a signal directly to television 130, or it may,alternatively, provide the signal to another Device, such as integratedamplifier/receiver 134 that is capable of receiving multiple sources ofaudio/video (for example, a television signal from a cable TV set-topbox, a DVD signal from a DVD player, a game signal from a game console,etc.) and selecting one of the sources for display on television 130.One of the sources may comprise the Device that communicates with server138, and when the Device sends the status information received fromserver 138 or the acknowledgment that one or more actions have beenperformed, amplifier/receiver 134 provides the status information oracknowledgment to television 130 for visual and/or audible presentationby television 130 to the user. In another embodiment, the statusinformation or acknowledgment is superimposed with a second signal bythe amplifier/receiver 134 or television 130, for example a televisionsignal provided by cable set-top box 128, and the status information oracknowledgement may be superimposed with the television signal, e.g.,the status information/acknowledgment may be shown as a “picture withina picture” format on television 130.

When a user of remote control 132 transmits a signal indicating a desireto view security status information or to issue a command, in oneembodiment, a “security dashboard” 216, as shown in FIG. 2, may bedisplayed on television 130 in response to receipt of the signal by oneor more of the Devices. The security dashboard is a graphicalrepresentation of security system 100 that allows users of remotecontrol 132 to quickly determine the status of security system 100and/or to know whether commands have been executed based on what isdisplayed by security dashboard 220 on television 130. The securitydashboard may be presented automatically whenever a security statusrequest or command is received by one or more of the Devices, or it maybe presented simply by a request from remote control 132, e.g., bypressing a pre-designated key. In this case, remote control 132generates a “dashboard display signal” for transmission in the remotecontrol's native communication type and/or protocol, to one or more ofthe Devices. At least one of the Devices receives this signal andevaluates it to determine that it is a dashboard display signal. Inresponse, security dashboard 220 is presented on television 130 by beingswitched to an input of television 130, for example byamplifier/receiver 134. In one embodiment, the dashboard display signalis received by a first Device, such as amplifier/receiver 134, whereuponthe first Device causes an input to the first Device to switch a signalrepresentative of security dashboard 220 from a second Device, such asauxiliary interface device 144, to an output of the first Device. Thefirst Device is capable of receiving multiple signals each from aparticular source and selecting one of the sources for display ontelevision 130. Security dashboard comprises a visual representation,such as a simple line drawing, of structure 101, including sensors,electronic locks, lights, a garage door, or appliances that may becontrolled by remote control 132. Dashboard 220 is alterable to reflecta current status of the sensors or other devices/systems related tostructure 101. For example, the sensors may be shown in green toindicate that a door or window is closed and red when opened. Securitydashboard may be stored in a memory within one of the Devices or evenserver 138 as HTML code, (i.e., a web page), where a status of system100 and/or each sensor may be visually communicated to the user uponpresentation of security dashboard 220 on television 130. In the examplewhere security dashboard is stored and provided by server 138, uponreceiving the dashboard display signal, the amplifier/receiver 134switches an Internet-based connection to television 130, where securitydashboard 220 from server 138 is switched to an input of television 130.

FIG. 2 illustrates security dashboard 220, comprising a representationof structure 101 and motion sensor 200, door sensor 202, door 204, andwindows 206, 208, 210, and 212. The number and type of sensors used inthis example is for illustrative purposes only, whereas other examplesmay use a greater or a fewer number of sensors, and/or different sensortypes. In FIG. 2, only two sensors are shown as graphicalrepresentations or icons, each icon corresponding to a particular sensorlocated within or outside of structure 101. In another embodiment,representations of the sensors themselves are not shown. Rather, othericons, representing the doors and windows of structure 101 themselves,are illustrated using different visual effects in order to indicate astatus of such doors and windows. For example, each door or window iconin dashboard 220 could be rendered in certain colors depending on theirstatus, such as red to indicate “open” or “fault” or “not-monitored” andgreen to indicate “closed”, “operating normally” (referring to amonitoring sensor) or “monitored and closed”. Of course, other visualeffects may be used, such as the use of two window icons and/or two dooricons, one of each respective set of icons illustrating an open windowor door, and the other icon illustrating a closed window or door. Theicons may be displayed in security dashboard 220 in a manner thatindicates their relative placement throughout structure 101, as shown.Indicators 214, 216, and 218 may provide status information of system100 as a while, for example, “armed-home”, “armed-away” and “disarmed”,respectively.

FIG. 2 also illustrates an indication or icon 222 representing a stillor video camera 140 located inside or outside of structure 101. In oneembodiment, one or more still images or a video stream may be displayedwithin icon 222, providing a user watching television 130 with real-timeinformation as to the status of various areas of structure 101. Signalsfrom such video or still cameras 140 are typically provided to a gatewayor router/modem combination 150 or to central security controller 104,where they may be then provided to server 138 for distribution totelevision 130 as described above. In one embodiment, a user may selectone of the still images and/or video streams using remote control 132,by pressing one or more pushbuttons, selecting one or more iconsdisplayed on remote control 132, by gesturing with remote control 132,or some other way to select one of the digital images and/or videostreams. A signal is broadcast from remote control 132 indicative of theuser's selection, and the selection is routed by one of the Devices backto server 138, where server 138 causes the selected image/video streambecome enlarged, thus encompassing more of the digital template or evenencompassing the entire digital template, such that the selectedimage/video stream is “blown up” on television 130 for detailed viewingby the user.

In another embodiment, where one or more of the digital cameras arecapable of panning, tilting and/or zooming, remote control 132 may beused to provide commands to such cameras. In this embodiment, a user ofremote control 132 may enter such commands via the methods describedabove, and remote control 132 then broadcasts one or more signalsindicative of the command(s). The one or more signals are received byone or more of the Devices, and then provided to server 138. Server 138,in response, converts the one or more signals into commandsinterpretable by the cameras, and provides the commands to the camerasvia wide-area network 122.

In another embodiment, remote control 132 may be used to display allavailable images/video streams simultaneously on television 130,maximizing the viewable area of each image/stream based on the number ofimages/video streams available. A user may instruct server 138 todisplay such images/streams by entering a predetermined command intoremote control 132, as described above. In response, one more of theDevices receives this command and forwards it to server 138. Server 138,in response, causes all of the images/streams to occupy most or theentire security dashboard 220. For example, if 4 video cameras have beeninstalled into various locations of structure 101, server 138 mayarrange each of the four video streams from the four cameras into four,equal-sized viewing areas, with two viewing areas side-by-side and theother two viewing areas on top of the other two. Of course, a variety ofother arrangements are possible, such as arranging the viewing areasside-by-side, by causing one of the viewing areas to occupy a largeportion of security dashboard 220, while other images/streams are shownas smaller views waiting to be “rotated” into the main viewing area, orsome other viewing arrangement. In one embodiment, server 138 providesthe images/streams to television 130 via the amplifier/receiver 134.After the images/streams have been presented to the user via television130, the user may select one of the images/streams for better viewing,similar to the technique described above.

In yet another embodiment, a television program may be interrupted whena person is detected outside of structure 101. In this embodiment,camera 140 could be positioned to view an exterior portion of structure101, for example within proximity of a front door of structure 101 or awindow. Such a camera can be used to provide still or video images totelevision 130 upon detection of a person in proximity to an area of adoor or window to be monitored. In one embodiment, camera 140 is used inconjunction with human sensing device 142, such as a motion sensor,switch-activated welcome mat, line-of-sight interruption system (such asa beam-interruption detector), ultrasonic transducer, a doorbell, orsome other device capable of detecting when a person is outside a dooror window of structure 101. Camera 140 is coupled to television 130 viawired or wireless means, for example via a wired and/or wirelesslocal-area network provided by modem/router/gateway 150. Signals fromcamera 140 may be provided to an auxiliary interface device 144, ordirectly to amplifier/receiver 134 or television 130, if such devicescomprise circuitry, such as a Wi-Fi receiver. In the case of auxiliaryinterface device 144, it provides the images/video from camera 140 toamplifier/receiver 134 and/or television 130. In any case, any of theseDevices may receive a signal from human sensing device 142 which causestelevision 130 to interrupt a currently-viewed program in order todisplay the image/video provided from camera 140 when a person isdetected within range of camera 140. In another embodiment, only aportion of a currently-viewed program is interrupted, i.e., television130 provides the image/video from camera 140 as a “picture-in-a-picture”format, so that both the currently-viewed program and the image/videoare seen simultaneously on television 130.

In one embodiment, a user of television 130 may engage in verbalcommunication with the detected person, using either remote control 132,auxiliary interface device 144, television 130 or a combination ofthese, to transmit a signal to an amplifier/speaker device 146 locatedproximate to camera 140 or the location being monitored by camera 140.In any case, a user of television 130 may enter a predetermined sequenceinto remote control 132, indicative of the user's desire to communicatewith the detected person. In response, remote control 132 transmits asignal to one or more of the Devices, instructing at least one of theDevices to begin transmitting a signal representative of the user'svoice to amplifier/speaker device 146. In another embodiment, the user'svoice is transmitted without having to enter a particular sequence intoremote control 132, i.e., the user's voice may be transmitted by remotecontrol 132 or one of the Devices as soon as an image/video is presentedto the user on television 130. In one embodiment, when an audio signalis detected by television 130, i.e., a signal from auxiliary interfaceunit 144 contains a voice signal from a person outside of structure 101,television 130 may mute the audio signal of the television programmingso that the user can hear the person outside of structure 101.

In any case, when the user begins speaking, the user's voice isconverted into an electronic signal representative of the user's voiceby remote control 132 or by any one of the Devices or auxiliaryinterface device 144. The electronic signal is then transmitted toamplifier/speaker device 146 for presentation to the detected person. Inone embodiment, where multiple cameras 140 and multipleamplifier/speaker devices 146 are used, the user's voce signal istransmitted only to the amplifier/speaker device associated with theparticular human sensing device 142 that alerted the Devices to thepresence of the person. This is accomplished by the Devices receiving anidentification code from human sensing device 142 upon detection of aperson. In one embodiment, a microphone 148 incorporated into humansensing device 142 or camera 140, or a stand-along microphone, mayprovide the person's voice via the local-area network to one or more ofthe Devices, whereupon the person's voice may be broadcast from speakerscoupled to amplifier/receiver 134 and/or via speakers that are part oftelevision 130. In this way, a two-way conversation may take placebetween the user and the person.

In a related embodiment, a panic icon 224 may be displayed on securitydashboard 220 for selection by a user of remote control 132, typicallybe using hard or soft arrow keys on a user interface of remote control132 or by pressing a pre-designated button or switch on remote control132. In another embodiment, a dedicated key, button, or sequence ofkeystrokes and/or gestures entered by the user to remote control 132causes remote control 132 to transmit a panic signal to one of theDevices. In one embodiment, when the panic signal is received by one ofthe Devices, or when the panic icon is selected by a user via remotecontrol 132, one of the Devices that received the signal alerts remotemonitoring center 120 of a panic condition by transmitting a signal viaone of a number of alternative ways, such as transmitting a signal tosecurity system controller 104, via wide-area network 122, or via acellular or POTS module installed into any one of the Devices to contactremote monitoring center 120 via a cellular or telephone network,respectively. In the example of transmitting a signal to security systemcontroller 104, one of the Devices may be registered with securitysystem controller 104 as a “sensor”, so that when a signal is receivedfrom one of the Devices, security system controller 104 treats thesignal the same as if a door or window sensor alert signal had beenreceived. Accordingly, security system controller 104 may take one ormore actions, such as contacting remote monitoring center 120, causing asiren to sound or lights to flash within or outside structure 101.

Local Control

In another embodiment, server 138 is not used to provide statusinformation of security system 100 to television 130 or to forwardcommands from one of the Devices to security system controller 104 inorder to control operation of security system 100. Rather, such statusrequests, status information, commands and acknowledgements arecommunicated directly between one or more of the Devices and centralsecurity controller 104 in response to signals from remote control 132.In this embodiment, auxiliary interface device 144 comprises circuitryand software to allow such status requests and commands to be routedfrom remote control 132 to central security controller 104 and fromcentral security controller 104 to device 126 and on to television 130.In other embodiments, the functionality of auxiliary interface device144 is incorporated into television 130, set-top box 128,amplifier/receiver 134, or remote control 132.

Auxiliary interface device 144 may be capable of receiving signals fromremote control 132, as described above with respect to requestingsecurity system status information, providing security dashboard 220 totelevision 130 or an intermediary Device, interacting with securitydashboard 220, and communicating with persons outside of structure 101.It further is capable of communicating directly with central securitycontroller 104, with or without the local-area network provided bymodem/router/gateway 150, in order to transmit commands and to receivestatus information, and may be capable of receiving signals from camera140/human sensing device 140/amplifier/speaker device 146, and/ormicrophone 148 typically via the local-area network. Finally, auxiliaryinterface device 144 may be capable of providing signals to television130, typically via a switchable device such as amplifier/receiver 134,for providing security dashboard 220, status information related tosecurity system 100, image/video information from camera 140, and audioinformation from microphone 148.

Smart Remote Control 132

In one embodiment, remote control 132 may be capable of learning one ormore users' television viewing habits, and in response, automaticallycontrolling one or more aspects of security system 100 and/or otherdevices or systems. For example, remote control 132 may determine thattelevision 130 is turned on between 6 and 7 pm Sunday through Thursdayand turned off at approximately 10 pm on those days. This may indicatethat a user is finished watching television for the evening, and willsoon retire for the evening. This embodiment may require that remotecontrol 132 be programmed with a current time and/or date, which may beaccomplished via user interface 304 or remotely using a smart phone,tablet computer or computer coupled to remote control 132. When remotecontrol 132 determines that a user has turned television 130 off viaremote control 132 around, for example, 10 pm, remote control 132 mayperform one or more actions. For example, remote control 132 maytransmit a signal that causes security system 100 to enter an“armed-home” mode of operation, where an alarm is generated when a dooror window is opened, but not generated when motion is detected insidestructure 101 by one or more motion sensors. Remote control 132 may, inaddition, determine whether a garage door is open and, if so, transmit asignal to have the garage door closed. Additional actions may includeturning off or on one or more lights inside and/or outside structure101, turning off one or more of the Devices, locking electronic door orwindow locks, controlling a thermostat, controlling appliances, etc. Inone embodiment, when remote control 132 determines that television 130had been turned off via remote control 132 before the approximate timethat the user retires for the evening, remote control 132 may query theuser, either directly by remote control 132 or by transmitting a signalfor display to the user before television 130 is turned off, asking theuser whether he or she would like to perform the automatic actionsnormally taken when the user retires for the evening. Multiple queriesmay be presented, asking the user whether the user desires to interactwith other systems or devices, such as whether the user wants to closean open garage door, whether the user wants to turn lights on or off,etc. The user may respond to the query(s) by manipulating remote control132 to answer the query(s) in the affirmative or the negative. In theformer, remote control 132 performs the automated actions normally takenwhen the user retires for the evening. In the latter, remote control 132takes no action.

Functional Block Diagrams

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment of remote control132. In this embodiment, remote control 132 compriseshardware/software/firmware needed to support the functionality of remotecontrol 132 as a remote controller for a number of devices.Specifically, FIG. 3 shows processor 300, memory 302, user interface304, transmitter 306, and optional receiver 308. It should be understoodthat the functional blocks shown in FIG. 3 may be connected to oneanother in a variety of ways, and that not all functional blocksnecessary for operation of remote control 132 are shown (such as a powersupply), for purposes of clarity.

Processor 300 is configured to provide general operation of remotecontrol 132 by executing processor-executable instructions stored inmemory 302, for example, executable code. Processor 300 typicallycomprises a general purpose microprocessor, microcomputer, and/ormicrocontroller, suitable in size, cost and processing power to performthe functions required of remote control 132.

Memory 302 comprises one or more information storage devices, such asRAM, ROM, EEPROM, UVPROM, flash memory, CD, DVD, Memory Stick, SDmemory, XD memory, thumb drive, or virtually any other type ofelectronic, optical, or mechanical memory device. Memory 302 is used tostore the processor-executable instructions for operation of remotecontrol 132 as well as any information used by processor 300 to interactwith the Devices and/or security central controller 104, such asinformation relating to different protocols and frequencies transmittedby remote control 132, commands, an “estimated retirement time” relateda time that a user typically stops watching television 130 and retiresfor the evening, codes used to interact with other devices, date andtime information, etc.

User interface 304 is coupled to processor 300 and allows a user toreceive information from remote control 132 and control operation of oneor more Devices, security system 100, and other devices, such as lights,electronic locks, garage doors, thermostats, etc. User interface 304 maycomprise one or more pushbuttons, touchscreen devices, biometricreaders, switches, sensors, keypads, and/or microphones that generateelectronic signals for use by processor 300 upon initiation by a user.User interface 304 may additionally comprise one or more seven-segmentdisplays, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), oneor more light emitting diode displays (LEDD), one or more light emittingdiodes (LEDs), light arrays, or any other type of visual display.Further, the electronic display could alternatively or in additioncomprise an audio device, such as a speaker, for audible presentation ofinformation to a user.

Transmitter 306 comprises circuitry necessary to transmit signals fromremote control 132 to other devices within structure 101, includingstatus requests and commands to control operation of one or more devicesand systems, including security system 100, garage doors, electroniclocks, appliances, lights, thermostats, etc. Such circuitry is wellknown in the art and may comprise BlueTooth, Wi-Fi, RF, IR, Zigbee,Z-wave, or some other mesh network protocol, optical, or ultrasoniccircuitry, among others.

Receiver 308 comprises one or more receivers capable of receivingsignals transmitted by remote control 132, for example an IR receiver,RF receiver, ultrasonic receiver, etc. Receiver 308 receives nativesignals from remote control 132 and converts them into electronicsignals for processor 300 to evaluate. Such receivers are well-known inthe art.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment of any of theDevices, but discussed in terms of auxiliary interface device 144. Inthis embodiment, auxiliary interface device 144 compriseshardware/software/firmware needed to support the functionality ofauxiliary interface device 144 as in interface among remote control 132,security system 100, and television 130. In other embodiments, auxiliaryinterface device 144 is also configured to interface with a number ofother devices, such as lights, electronic locks, garage doors,entertainment equipment, thermostats, and/or appliances. Specifically,FIG. 4 shows processor 400, memory 402, receiver 404, transmitter 406,and optional network interface 408. It should be understood that thefunctional blocks shown in FIG. 4 may be connected to one another in avariety of ways, and that not all functional blocks necessary foroperation of auxiliary interface device 144 are shown (such as a powersupply), for purposes of clarity.

Processor 400 is configured to provide general operation of auxiliaryinterface device 144 by executing processor-executable instructionsstored in memory 402, for example, executable code. Processor 400typically comprises a general purpose microprocessor, microcomputer,and/or microcontroller, suitable in size, cost and processing power toperform the functions of auxiliary interface device 144.

Memory 402 comprises one or more information storage devices, such asRAM, ROM, EEPROM, UVPROM, flash memory, CD, DVD, Memory Stick, SDmemory, XD memory, thumb drive, or virtually any other type ofelectronic, optical, or mechanical memory device. Memory 402 is used tostore the processor-executable instructions for operation of auxiliaryinterface device 144 as well as any information used by processor 400during operation of auxiliary interface device 144, such as informationrelating to different signals transmitted and received by auxiliaryinterface device 144, codes used to interact with other devices, etc.

Receiver 404 comprises circuitry necessary to wirelessly receive signalsfrom remote control 132. Such circuitry is well known in the art and maycomprise BlueTooth, Wi-Fi, RF, IR, Zigbee, Z-wave or some other meshnetwork circuitry, optical, and/or ultrasonic, among others.

Transmitter 406 is used to transmit signals to one or more devices, suchas security system controller 104, any of the Devices, to one or morehome automation system, lights, entertainment equipment, electroniclocks, garage doors, etc. Such circuitry is well known in the art andmay comprise BlueTooth, Wi-Fi, RF, Zigbee, Z-wave, or some other meshnetwork circuitry, optical, or ultrasonic circuitry, among others.

Network interface 408 may be used to transmit and receive signals to alocal-area network, such as commands, requests, status information,control signals, etc. Network interface 408 comprises well-knowncircuitry such as Ethernet circuitry to communicate using packet-basedprotocols with one or more external devices, such asmodem/router/gateway 150. Using network interface 408, auxiliaryinterface device 144 may communicate with any number of the Devicesand/or other devices or systems via modem/router/gateway 150.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method forinteracting with a security system using a television remote control forcontrolling operation of the security system and for receiving statusinformation related to the security system. The method is performed byone or more of the Devices and/or remote control 132. In one embodiment,one or more of the Devices provides a security dashboard for display ontelevision 130. A signal representing the security dashboard may beprovided from one or more of the Devices to another of the Devices inorder to switch the security dashboard for display on television 130. Inanother embodiment, the signal may be provided directly to television130 to one of its inputs, then switched to display of television 130upon detection by television 130 of a command or status request. Itshould be understood that in some embodiments, not all of the stepsshown in FIG. 5 are performed. It should also be understood that theorder in which the steps are carried out may be different in otherembodiments.

At block 500, one or more of the Devices receives a signal from remotecontrol 132 indicative of a user's desire to send a command or a statusrequest to security system 100. The signal is typically an infra-redsignal commonly transmitted by most television remote controls, but inother embodiments could comprise an RF signal.

At block 502, one or more of the Devices causes security dashboard 220to be displayed on television 130, typically by switching a signalrepresenting security dashboard 220 to an input of television 130, ortelevision 130 internally switching the dashboard signal to thetelevision 130 display.

At block 504, one or more of the Devices may convert the signal into aformat compatible with security system 100.

At block 506, one or more of the Devices converts the formatted signalinto a protocol suitable for transmission over-the-air via transmitter406, or over a wire via network interface 408. For example, theformatted signal may be converted into TCP/IP packets for transmissionto a local-area network, where it is then provided to wide-area network122 for routing to server 138. In another embodiment, the formattedsignal is provided directly to security system controller 104 withoutthe use of wide-area network 122, via direct wireless transmission ofthe digital representation to security system controller 104 or via thelocal-area network.

In one embodiment, at block 508, server 138 receives the digitalrepresentation and evaluates it to determine a destination for thedigital representation. In one embodiment, one or more of the Deviceslogs onto an account maintained by server 138 associated with server138.

At block 510, server 138 determines which security system to send thedigital representation based on identification information that may havebeen transmitted along with the digital representation, and provides theformatted signal to security system 100, specifically security systemcontroller 104.

At block 512, security system controller 104 receives the digitalrepresentation of the status request or the command to perform one ormore actions.

At block 514, security system controller 104 may perform one or moreactions based on the received formatted signal, such as arming securitysystem 100 or disarming the system, when the digital representationcomprises a command. After the one or more actions have been performed,security system controller 104 may provide an acknowledgement that theone or more actions have been successfully completed either to server138, to local-area network, or directly to the circuitry. If one or moreof the actions cannot be completed, for example if a command to armsystem 100 was received, but a door or a window is open, system 100typically cannot be armed. In this case, security system controller 104may send an indication to server 138/local-area network/circuitry thatat least one of the actions were not completed, and may additionallyprovide a reason for the non-performance, such as “one or moredoors/windows open”, “low battery” (of a sensor), “heartbeat missing”(of a sensor), “movement detected”, etc. In one embodiment, furtherinformation of the non-performance is provided, such as anidentification of any open doors or windows that prevent system 100 frombeing armed, an identification of which sensors are experiencing a lowbattery condition or missing heartbeat, an identification of a room orarea where movement was detected, a sensor identification numberassociated with any of the aforementioned sensors/conditions, etc.

At block 516, security system controller 104 may send an overall statusof security system 100 and/or a status of one or more sensors monitoredby security system controller 104 either to server 138, to thelocal-area network, or directly to one or more of the Devices when thedigital representation comprises a status inquiry.

At block 518, in one embodiment, the acknowledgement and/or status isreceived by one or more of the Devices. In another embodiment whereserver 138 is used and provides the security dashboard, server 138alters the security dashboard to reflect a current status of securitysystem 100 and/or individual sensors, as well as alters the securitydashboard to provide an indication that the one or more actions weresuccessfully performed or not. For example, server 138 or one or more ofthe Devices may update the appearance of the icons representing thesensors monitored by security system controller 104, e.g., byilluminating an icon in green coloring when a door or window associatedwith the icon is closed and illuminating an icon in red when a door orwindow is open. A border 226 of structure 101 may be shown in securitydashboard 220 in green to indicate that security system 100 has beenarmed or red to indicate that it has been disarmed, or a messageindicating the status or an indication whether the one or more actionswere successfully performed or not.

In one embodiment, the acknowledgement from security central controller104 comprises information indicating that one or more actions were notsuccessfully performed and an identity of the action or actions thatwere not performed as well as an identification of a particular door orwindow that prevented an action from being performed or sensorsassociated therewith. For example, if a front door is ajar, a sensormonitoring the front door may report that the door is open to securitysystem controller 104. If security system controller 104 received acommand to arm security system 100, security system controller 104 wouldgenerally not be permitted to arm system 100 due to the front door beingopen. Security system controller 104 may, in response, send anacknowledgement to server 138 indicating that arming system 100 was notsuccessful, and that the reason is that the front door is open. Inresponse to receiving the acknowledgement, server 138 may alter securitydashboard to indicate to the user that a particular action was notsuccessfully performed, and an identification of a door or window, orrelated sensors, that prevented an action from being performed.

At block 520, in an embodiment where the security dashboard is providedby the one or more Devices rather than server 138, in response toreceiving the acknowledgement or status, the one or more Devices mayalter security dashboard 220 to reflect a current status and/oracknowledgement, as described above.

The result of the foregoing is that when a user operates remote control132 to obtain a status of security system 100 or enters a command forsecurity system 100 to perform one or more actions, security dashboard220 is displayed via television 130 for the user to observe the statusof security system 100 and determine whether commands sent to securitysystem 100 were successfully performed or not.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method forcontrolling camera 140 using a television remote control and for viewingstill or video images provided by camera 140. The method is performed byone or more of the Devices. It should be understood that in someembodiments, not all of the steps shown in FIG. 6 are performed. Itshould also be understood that the order in which the steps are carriedout may be different in other embodiments.

At block 600, one or more of the Devices receives a signal from remotecontrol 132 indicative of a user's desire to view still or video imagesfrom camera 140 and/or to control operation of camera 140. The signal istypically an infra-red signal commonly transmitted by most televisionremote controls, but in other embodiments could comprise an RF signal.

At block 602, one or more of the Devices causes a feed from camera 140to be displayed on television 130. This may occur in response to one ormore of the Devices switching a signal from camera 140 or from thelocal-area network to display on television 130. After the feed has beendisplayed on television 130, a user of remote control 132 is able toview still or video images from camera 140.

At block 604, the circuitry receives a second signal from remote control132 indicative of a user's desire to control operation of camera 140, inan embodiment where camera 140 is capable of remote control operation.The second signal may indicate that the user desires to pan, tilt,rotate, zoom, or control some other operation or aspect of camera 140.

At block 606, one or more of the Devices converts the second signal intoa format compatible with camera 140 in accordance with formatted cameracommands stored in memory 402.

At block 608, the circuitry converts the formatted signal into a digitalrepresentation suitable for transmission over the air via transmitter406, or over a wire via network interface 408. For example, theformatted signal may be converted into TCP/IP packets for transmissionto a local-area network, where it is then provided to camera 140. Inanother embodiment, the digital representation is transmitted directlyto camera 140 without the use of local-area network 122, via directwireless transmission of the digital representation.

At block 610, camera 140 receives the digital representation of thesecond signal and performs operations based on the type of command sentby the user, i.e., to pan, tilt, rotate, zoom, etc.

The result of the foregoing is that still or video images may bepresented to a user from a security camera located within or exterior tostructure 101 using remote control 132 and television 130 to view theimages. The user may further control operation of the camera usingremote control 132.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method forinteracting with a person located outside of structure 101. The methodis performed by one or more of the Devices in conjunction with a humansensing device 142 positioned proximate to a door or a window to bemonitored. It should be understood that in some embodiments, not all ofthe steps shown in FIG. 7 are performed. It should also be understoodthat the order in which the steps are carried out may be different inother embodiments.

At block 700, as a user is watching television 130, a person mayapproach door or a window monitored by camera 140 and human sensingdevice 142, such as when a salesman approaches a front door of structure101.

At block 702, human sensing device 142 detects the person and, inresponse, transmits a signal that is received by one or more of theDevices.

At block 704, in response to receiving the signal from human sensingdevice 142, one or more of the Devices causes a still or video image toappear on television 130 by switching a signal from camera 140 or fromthe local-area network to display on television 130. Signals from camera140 may be provided to one of the Devices either directly or vialocal-area network. In any case, the signal from human sensing device142 causes television 130 to interrupt a currently-viewed program inorder to display the image/video provided from camera 140 when a personis detected within range of camera 140. In another embodiment, only aportion of a currently-viewed program is interrupted, i.e., television130 provides the image/video from camera 140 as a “picture-in-a-picture”format, so that both the currently-viewed program and the image/videoare seen simultaneously on television 130.

At block 704, the user may control one or more operations of camera 140,as described above with respect to the method of FIG. 6, if the userwishes to observe the person from a different angle or zoom in for acloser view.

At block 706, the user may engage in verbal communication with thedetected person, using either remote control 132 or one of the Devices,to transmit a signal to amplifier/speaker device 146 located proximateto camera 140 or the location being monitored by camera 140. In anycase, a user of television 130 may enter a predetermined sequence intoremote control 132, indicative of the user's desire to communicate withthe detected person.

At block 708, in response to receiving the predetermined sequence,remote control 132 transmits a signal to one or more of the Devices,instructing at least one of these devices to begin transmitting a signalrepresentative of the user's voice to amplifier/speaker device 146,either directly or through the local-area network. In anotherembodiment, the user's voice is transmitted without having to enter aparticular sequence into remote control 132, i.e., the user's voice maybe transmitted by remote control 132, one of the Devices or auxiliaryinterface device 144 as soon as an image/video is presented to the useron television 130.

At block 710, when the user begins speaking, the user's voice isconverted into an electronic signal representative of the user's voiceby remote control 132 or by any one of the Devices or auxiliaryinterface device 144. The electronic signal is then transmitted toamplifier/speaker device 146 for presentation to the detected person. Inone embodiment, where multiple cameras 140 and multipleamplifier/speaker devices 146 are used, the user's voce signal istransmitted only to the amplifier/speaker device associated with theparticular human sensing device 142 that alerted the Devices and/orauxiliary interface device 144 to the presence of the person. This isaccomplished by the Devices and/or auxiliary interface device 144receiving an identification code from human sensing device 142 upondetection of a person.

At block 712, microphone 148 incorporated into human sensing device 142or camera 140, or a stand-along microphone, is used to provide theperson's voice to one or more of the Devices and/or auxiliary interfacedevice 144, whereupon the person's voice may be broadcast from speakerscoupled to amplifier/receiver 134 and/or via speakers that are part oftelevision 130. In this way, a two-way conversation may take placebetween the user and the person using television 132.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method forautomatically controlling one or more actions of security system 100and/or other systems/devices by remote control 132 as remote control 132“learns” the habits of one or more users. The method is performed byremote control 132 in conjunction with at least security system 100.Although the method is described with respect to automated operation ofsecurity system 100 and/or other systems/devices when a user goes tobed, the method could alternatively be used to automatically controlsecurity system 100 and/or other systems/devices when a user wakes upafter sleep. It should be understood that in some embodiments, not allof the steps shown in FIG. 8 are performed. It should also be understoodthat the order in which the steps are carried out may be different inother embodiments.

At block 800, remote control 132 begins to track the viewing habits ofone or more users of remote control 132. For example, processor 300within remote control 132 may store a time when television 130 is turnedon and/or off, a channel most frequently watched, volume settings, etc.in memory 302.

At block 802, at some later time, processor 300 evaluates theinformation accumulated over time and stored in memory 302 to determinean “estimated retirement time” of a user of remote control 130. Forexample, processor 302 may use previously-stored times when television130 was turned off and use the average, mean, or median of these timeswhen television 130 was shut off to determine the estimated retirementtime. In one embodiment, remote control 132 is not capable ofdetermining a current time and therefore cannot assign a time-of-daywhen various events are detected by processor 300, such as turn on, turnoff, channel selection, volume, etc., as remote control 132 may not becapable of storing time-of-day or date information. In this case, remotecontrol 132 may use a 24 hr. internal clock to store event times on arelative basis. For example, if remote control 132 determines thattelevision 130 was turned off, processor 300 could store that event inmemory 302 along with a “zero” relative time. Each time an event occurs,processor 300 may store an indication of the event and the relative timeon a rolling 24 hr. cycle. Thus, processor 300 may determine that a“turn on” event does not typically occur within 12 hours of a “turn off”event, indicating that the turn off event was received when a user ofremote control 132 decided to turn television 130 off and retire for theevening.

At block 804, after an estimated retirement time has been determined byprocessor 300, processor determines when a subsequent turn off eventoccurs, i.e., a “turn off time” when remote control 132 is used to turnoff television 130.

At block 806, processor 300 compares the turn off time to the estimatedretirement time to determine whether television 130 has been turned offfor the evening.

At block 808, when processor 300 determines that the turn off timeoccurred within a predetermined time window of the estimated retirementtime, for example 30 minutes prior to, and any amount of time after, theestimated retirement time, processor 300 automatically causes remotecontrol 132 to transmit a signal to one of the Devices, instructing oneof the Devices to send one or more commands to security centralcontroller 104 for security central controller 104 to perform one ormore actions, such as arming system 100 in an armed-home mode. Inanother embodiment, the signal from remote control 132 may cause one ormore of the Devices to send signals to other devices and/or systems tocontrol other functionalities, such as to turn on or off lights, close agarage door, lock electronic locks, etc.

At block 810, when processor 300 determines that the turn off time didnot occur within the predetermined time window, processor 300 may querythe user to determine whether or not to perform the automated functionsnormally performed when the user is going to retire for the evening. Forexample, processor 300 may cause a message to be displayed on userinterface 304 asking the user if the user wishes to implement theautomated functions normally carried out when the user retires for theevening. Processor 300 may receive a response, again via user input 304,indicating that the user wishes to implement the automated functions, ornot.

At block 812, when the user wishes to implement the automated functions,processor 300 causes a transmission of the signal transmitted at block808 via transmitter 306. When the user does not wish to implement theautomated functions, processor does not cause the signal to betransmitted.

The methods or algorithms described in connection with the embodimentsdisclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware or embodied inprocessor-readable instructions executed by a processor. Theprocessor-readable instructions may reside in RAM memory, flash memory,ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, aremovable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known inthe art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor suchthat the processor can read information from, and write information to,the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may beintegral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium mayreside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In thealternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discretecomponents.

Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention may comprise acomputer-readable media embodying code or processor-readableinstructions to implement the teachings, methods, processes, algorithms,steps and/or functions disclosed herein.

While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative embodiments of theinvention, it should be noted that various changes and modificationscould be made herein without departing from the scope of the inventionas defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and/or actionsof the method claims in accordance with the embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein need not be performed in any particular order.Furthermore, although elements of the invention may be described orclaimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation tothe singular is explicitly stated.

We claim:
 1. A method performed by an auxiliary interface device forinteracting with a security system controller, a television and atelevision remote control, comprising: providing, by a processor of theauxiliary interface, a security dashboard to the television for displayby the television; receiving, by the processor via a receiver coupled tothe processor, an electronic signal from the television remote control,the electronic signal transmitted in accordance with a firstcommunication protocol that cannot be directly received by the securitysystem controller, the electronic signal comprising a command to causethe security system controller to perform an action; accessing, by theprocessor via a network interface coupled to the processor, a serverassociated with the security system controller via a wide-area network,the server for providing an interface to the security system controller;and providing, by the processor via the network interface, theelectronic signal to the server via the wide-area network; wherein theserver forwards the electronic to the security system controller toperform the action associated with the command.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein accessing the server comprises: logging onto an accountassociated with the security system by the processor via the networkinterface; wherein subsequent commands from the television remotecontrol are provided to the security system controller via the wide-areanetwork and the server after the account has been logged onto.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the action associated with the commandcomprises arming the security system controller.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein the action associated with the command comprises disarmingthe security system.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the actionassociated with the command comprises providing a status of the securitysystem controller, and the method further comprises: receiving, by theprocessor via the network interface, a status signal representative ofthe status of the security system controller from the server; inresponse to receiving the status signal, generating, by the processor, arepresentation of the security system controller status; and sending, bythe processor via the network interface, the representation to thetelevision for presentation of the status of the security systemcontroller.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the representationcomprises a graphical view of the status of the security systemcontroller.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, bythe processor via the network interface, a second signal from the serverindicating that the security system controller did not perform theaction; in response to receiving the signal, generating, by theprocessor, a graphical representation indicative of the non-performance;and sending, by the processor via the network interface, the graphicalrepresentation to the television for presentation of thenon-performance.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:receiving, by the processor via the network interface, a reason for thenon-performance from the server; altering, by the processor, thegraphical representation to provide an indication of the reason.
 9. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the reason comprises an indication that notall doors and/or windows are closed.
 10. The method of claim 5, whereinthe status signal comprises an indication that a low battery conditionhas been detected by the security system controller.
 11. An auxiliaryinterface device for interacting with a security system controller, atelevision and a television remote control, comprising: a receiver forreceiving signals from the television remote control; a networkinterface; a memory for storing processor-executable instructions; and aprocessor, coupled to the receiver, the network interface, and thememory, for executing the processor-executable instructions that causethe auxiliary interface device to: provide, by the processor, a securitydashboard to the television for display by the television; receive, bythe processor via the receiver, an electronic signal from the televisionremote control, the electronic signal transmitted in accordance with afirst communication protocol that cannot be directly received by thesecurity system controller, the electronic signal comprising a commandto cause the security system controller to perform an action; access, bythe processor via the network interface, a server associated with thesecurity system controller via a wide-area network, the server forproviding an interface to the security system controller; and provide,by the processor via the network interface, the electronic signal to theserver; wherein the server forwards the electronic signal to thesecurity system controller to perform the action associated with thecommand.
 12. The auxiliary interface device of claim 11, wherein theinstructions that cause the apparatus to access the server compriseinstructions that cause the auxiliary interface device to: log onto anaccount associated with the security system by the processor via thenetwork interface; wherein subsequent commands from the televisionremote control are provided to the security system controller via thewide-area network and the server after the account has been logged onto.13. The auxiliary interface device of claim 11, wherein the actionassociated with the command comprises arming the security systemcontroller.
 14. The auxiliary interface device of claim 11, wherein theaction associated with the command comprises disarming the securitysystem controller.
 15. The auxiliary interface device of claim 11,wherein the action associated with the command comprises providing astatus of the security system controller, and the processor-executableinstructions further comprise instructions that cause the auxiliaryinterface device to: receive a status signal representative of thestatus of the security system controller from the server; in response toreceiving the status signal, generate a representation of the securitysystem status; and send the representation to the television forpresentation of the status of the security system controller.
 16. Theauxiliary interface device of claim 15, wherein the representationcomprises a graphical view of the status of the security system.
 17. Theauxiliary interface device of claim 11, wherein the processor-executableinstructions further comprise instructions that cause the auxiliaryinterface device to: receive a rejection signal representative of arejection by the security system controller in response to the securitysystem controller receiving the command; in response to receiving therejection signal, generate a television-compatible signal representativeof the rejection; and send the television-compatible signal to thetelevision for presentation of the rejection to a user of the remotecontrol.
 18. The auxiliary interface device of claim 14, wherein theprocessor-executable instructions further comprise instructions thatcause the auxiliary interface device to: receive, by the processor viathe network interface, a reason for the rejection from the server; andalter, by the processor, the graphical representation to provide anindication of the reason.
 19. The auxiliary interface device of claim18, wherein the reason comprises an indication that not all doors and/orwindows are closed.
 20. The auxiliary interface device of claim 17,wherein the rejection comprises an indication that a low batterycondition has been detected by the security system.